etch: old school methods

Keysound Recordings returns to the shadows with the label's first full EP from newcomer Etch. Etch brings a jungle flavor to the dubstep dance. Not exclusively of course: his collaboration "Sounds" with Wen-mentor J-One sits somewhere between two-step garage and Mala's more meditative moments. Etch recontextualizes '97 tech-step's robotic rigidity into the new 130 BPM experimentation zone. Direct, imposing snares punch relentless rivet indentations that are ripe for filling with deft, flickering percussion. Like an intense proxy-memory flood, the sample intones with the epic grandeur of a late '80s/early '90s anthem. For lovers of the Metalheadz/No U-Turn era of drum 'n' bass, it's like meeting an old friend in an entirely new life. Etch has uncovered some old school methods and is alchemist enough to deploy them.